Report: NJ’s teen driver program still needs improvement

A new national report on teen driver safety released by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation reveals that New Jersey's Graduated Driver's License program is among the best in the country, but it could be better in two key areas.

The report, titled "A New GDL Framework: Evidence Base to Integrate Novice Driver Strategies," specifically mentions a lack of supervised driving during the practice stages of the GDL program.

"There's some really big holes that New Jersey has," said Cathleen Lewis, director of Public Affairs and Government Relations for AAA New Jersey Automobile Club. "One of the big holes is that we don't require any supervised driving time during the practice phase and we are one of only four states in the country that doesn't require supervised driving hours."

The report recommends 50 hours of supervised driving, which is something New Jersey has been reviewing for almost 10 years and is contained in a bill (A-1699) that has already been approved by the full General Assembly, Lewis said.

The other flaw in the Garden State's GDL program according to the report is that it doesn't require parental involvement and participation in the learning phase, something that could be done with a parent-teen orientation program as part of the GDL process. In the past, some parents have balked at having to take time out to complete such a program, but Lewis said it would not very time consuming or inconvenient.

"There's an instructor and they go over what the GDL provisions are, why they're there, tips on how to drive. There's no test. It's an hour-and-a-half. Parents are overloaded and we understand that and that's actually why there's a provision in this bill would allow you to do it online," Lewis explained. "If we had these two provisions we would have it all. We would be the leader in the country."

Under the bill approved by the Assembly, the permit phase of the state's GDL would be extended from six months to one year for all new drivers, age 16 to 20, before they become eligible for a probationary license. During that 12 month period, they would be required to log 50 hours of practice driving, certified by a parent or guardian, before becoming eligible for a probationary license. Any teen driver under the age of 18 who is applying for their learner's permit or examination permit would first be required to have a parent or guardian complete an approved teen driver orientation program.

By: (Kevin McArdle)

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